Modi looms large in absentia at BJP youth wing meet

Feb 16, 2013, 03.08AM ISTTNN

It was Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi, who stole the show at BJP youth meet in Raipur despite staying put more than 1,180 km away in Ahmedabad.

NEW DELHI: It was a gathering of the dyed-in-the-saffron cadre. More than 9,000 activists of BJP's youth wing, belonging to election-bound Chhattisgarh, had congregated in Raipur for a three-day convention that was held from February 11. With the assembly polls approaching fast, party leadership approached the Bharatiya Yuva Janata Morcha (BYJM) meeting as crucial warm-up exercise for the coming encounter with Congress.

The recognition was reflected in the presence of the central leaders from Delhi, led by party chief Rajnath Singh, Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley; CMs of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Raman Singh, respectively; RSS's point-person for central India, Saudaan Singh, general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan among many others.

Yet, it was Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi, who stole the show despite staying put more than 1,180 km away in Ahmedabad. Modi loomed large over the proceedings through the convention as thousands of saffron activists unabashedly rooted for him in what was seen as a clear message to Delhi-based leaders to acknowledge Gujarat CM's pre-eminence soon enough.

Sources in the party said that the BYJM workers peppered Rajnath Singh's valedictory address with "desh ka neta kaisa ho, Narendra Modi Jaisa ho" slogan. The same slogan had rent the air, when MP CM Chauhan, another highly-regarded saffron administrator who is ranked only next to Modi, praised Gujarat's accomplishments in development. On the night of February 11-12, the entire gathering stood up to applaud Manveer 'Madhur" for five minutes at 12.30 am when the young participant in Kavi Sammelan suggested that only a leader with spunk can meet the challenge from Pakistan.

BJP sources said that the support for Modi at the event cannot be over emphasized. The gathering comprised active functionaries of the outfit who could not have been innocent about either RSS disapproval of eulogizing individuals or the continuing opposition from a set of BJP leaders to the idea that Modi be anointed the spearhead of party's 2014 challenge. A senior BJP leader also stressed that the overwhelming majority — more than 80% of the participants — were drawn from OBCs/SCs and STs — categories that are supposed to be immune to the appeal of Modi disparaged by his critics as a middle-class phenomenon.

In fact, the endorsement from Chhattisgarh followed a similar show of support for Gujarat CM in Patna last month. Sources said the workers, who had assembled at Ravindra Bhawan in Bihar capital to fete Mangal Pandey, a confidant of Bihar's deputy CM Sushil Modi, launched into an impromptu slogan hailing Gujarat CM as "desh-ka-neta": a development rich in significance considering that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's steadfast opposition to Modi.

Contrasted with the ongoing debate in BJP's top echelons and amid growing indications that a powerful clique is determined to be the wrench in Modi's 2014 works, sources view the grassroots fervour as underlining a cadres-leaders' divide; as well a clear sign that ranks may not put up with dithering and "machinations" indefinitely.